Flourless Zucchini Brownies

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Have you heard of the Paleo Diet yet? I am all for it. Basically the Paelo way of eating mimics diets of our hunter-gatherer ancestors. You eat lean meats, seafood, vegetables, fruits and nuts. You cut out all the processed CRAP that is in so much of our food today, which is being linked to so many heath problems. The Paleo Diet encourages you to replace dairy and grain products with fresh fruits and vegetables. I have been researching a ton of recipes and recently came across this recipe for brownies. After reading all the outstanding reviews I knew I needed to make them for my family and try them out myself.

What you will need:

1 cup of almond butter. You can make your own if you want to save a few bucks.

1 1/2 cup of grated or chopped zucchini. I used a shredder and then chopped it up into really small pieces.

1/3 cup of raw honey

1 egg

1 tsp of vanilla

1 tsp of baking soda

1 tsp of cinnamon

1/2 tsp of nutmeg

1 cup of dark chocolate chips. I used gluten free chocolate chips.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all the ingredients into a large bowl and mix everything together.

Pour into a greased 9x9 baking pan.

Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

So how in the world do flourless zucchini brownies taste you may be wondering? They are the BEST brownies EVER--prepare yourself. My husband, who now thinks he is a food critic said, "The zucchini was subtle and not overpowering and they melt in your mouth." Haha I love it. He knows that I am going to put what he says into my blog (I have actually not posted recipes based on what he has said) so I think he tries to get all fancy with his critique. I will be making these again very soon.

I just read The Paleo Solution book! It was great, and I think it makes a lot of sense to go back to what our ancestors did. It is so tough though! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. It looks awesome and I will for sure be trying it!

We make brownies with black beans and spinach that blow my mind! They are only good cold though and there is nothing I love more than a HOT from the oven brownie! Are these good hot?? I just planted our zucchini plants so these are pinned!

Haha, your husband. Hilarious. Have you checked out the blog paleo nom nom? It's great and where I did all my reading when I was trying to talk my husband into eating paleo. He refuses to give up cheese. But, other than that we do eat paleo quite a bit just because it's also what's healthy. I'm going to have to try to make these while the husband isn't home and then have him try them before I tell him what's in them. Haha

Wow these look so moist! I usually make my brownies from a box haha because I think they're better than homemade, but these look really good! I like all of the natural ingredients you used. Also, I bake with zucchini a lot and we always like it - I've just never put it in brownies!

Oh my goodness Lindsay. Your husband cracks me up. My husband critics all of the fashion posts I do, which is both ridiculous and kind of funny. He thinks he's a good critic of women's clothing trends. But anyway. The brownies really do look amazing. Maybe I'll see what Matt says!

So I made these today with homemade pecan butter. They are delicious! However I would really call them more of a chocolate chip zucchini cake. I kept wondering how it would really be a brownie with no chocolate in the actual cake part. I would definitely add some cocoa powder to the cake batter next time for more chocolatey-ness. Might mean adding a tad more honey or egg but would be worth it.

omg, omg omg. I made these today to try and quiet my end of pregnancy sweet tooth a little bit and they did NOT disappoint! WOW!

A few tweaks I did - I used mini dark chocolate chips and cut it to 3/4 cup. I added 2 TBSP unsweetened cocoa powder to the batter along with 1 dropperful of chocolate liquid stevia. I cut the honey to 1/4 cup - may even cut to 1/8 cup next time? I baked in a 8x13 pan for about 55 minutes. Ooey, gooey right out of the oven, thank you!!!

I have been leaning towards trying out the Paelo diet, but I may have to start small :) I had no idea you could make such yummy treats without using any processed ingredients...definitely giving these a try!

I just made these and they're REALLY good. I'm GF so always looking for a good GF dessert recipe. Thanks! The only issue I had is that my chocolate chips sank to the bottom so all of the chocolate is... on the bottom! I notice you used tiny little chips though so maybe yours melted faster. Mine were big. Maybe I'll melt & cool them a little first? Do you think that'd change it too much?

Made these yesterday and they turned out great! Even my husband was impressed (and as a processed food junky, he is hard to please). I too left the skin on the zucchini and used a grater. Also, I cut down on the honey and it still turned out great. Thinking I might add some cocoa powder next time just to see how it turns out. Thank you so much for sharing!

Is there any alternative to using the honey? What about using granulated stevia or splenda? Anyone know? I also would probably use sunflower seed butter since my boyfriend has a nut allergy. Regardless, these look AMAZING!

I did some math and thought I would post the calorie count for anyone else who is interested. (note: I used regular semi-sweet choc chips, not gluten-free. I also made 1.5 times this recipe and used a 9x13 pan which yielded 18 brownies)

In each brownie there was approx. 220 calories. Not too bad! Thanks again! Love this recipe!

WOW I made these the other day and I was BLOWN AWAY by how good they are. I cut the cinnamon in half, left out the nutmeg, used agave nectar, added 2 big teaspoons of dark cocoa powder and some crushed walnuts on top. We had a little taste after dinner but just a bite and they were good, but after a night in the fridge BOY OH BOY!!! Even my husband who HATES squash could not believe me when I guinea pigged him and told him what was in them after he had a bite.Thank you so much for posting.

I just made these yesterday, and they were very good, but mine were quite oily on the bottom, has anyone else noticed this? I used an all natural no stir almond butter, also my chips all sank to the bottom so mine were kind of like a blondie with a layer of chocolate. Still good though. I think because of the oilyness i had i thought mine tasted better cold. A great healthy recipe that i will definitely be making again and again.

I made these but instead of 1/3 cup honey, I used 1/4 cup and a few drops of stevia. I also used yellow squash instead of zucchini, and I didn't have any chocolate chips on hand so I used 2 tbsp cocoa powder and 1/4 cup homemade hazlenut/chocolate butter in addition to the 1 cup peanut butter. Lots of substitutions, hoping it turns out good. The batter looks the right consistency and smells delish! :)

These were pretty good, made the whole thing in the food processor. Like others said, my chips went to the bottom, so all the chocolate was there. If you don't need to be GF or aren't doing paleo, these aren't any healthier than traditional brownies, just slightly higher protein. Here's the breakdown.

I just made these and they are yummy. They don't look anything like your picture though which is disappointing because yours look so chocolatey and delicious! Mine turned out more like chocolate chip zucchini bread bars. I'm wondering how this happened because I followed the recipe exactly! Except I used Tollhouse dark chocolate chips, which didn't melt so maybe this is part of the problem. Do you remember what brand GF dark chips you used? I also baked in a 9x13 brownie pan and they were done in about 27 minutes. Thanks for the yummy Paleo recipe! I am interested in experimenting again to achieve a more chocolatey and brownie like result!

These turned out perfect. I ate one warm, and it was great. The chocolate was pretty evenly distributed. I used a mix of organic, fair trade, dark and bittersweet chocolate chips and they melted just fine. I followed the recipe exactly, shredded then chopped the zuke really fine, used a 9X9 glass pan and baked for 45 minutes. They came out somewhat cakey rather than fudgey, so if you are a fudge brownie lover, you might not like these so much. However, so good that it's hard to believe there's no flour in them. I'm wondering if the pan makes a difference in how they turn out (chocolate only on the bottom/oily). Thanks to all for posting the calorie and carb count -- helped rein in my desire to eat the whole pan :)

I just had to make these brownies for our upcoming road trip. I didn't have any almond butter, nor did I believe they would be chocolatey enough. So, I used natural peanut butter to which I added a 1/2 cup of dry cocoa. Also, because we are leaving on vacation soon and I'm trying to use up ingredients in the house, I used the entire bag of chocolate chips (so as to not have leftovers). I also didn't have any raw honey, so I used just regular honey. Anyway, so far so good. They are delicious! I would, however, in the future use less cinnamon and nutmeg.

Is there supposed to be cocoa in the ingredients for these brownies. The picture looks like some cocoa powder can be seen but I don't see it listed? I can't figure out how they would look like brownies without the cocoa??? But maybe I'm missing it? I really want to make these soon but wanted to check to see if cocoa should be used and how much?

Just made these tonight! SUPER YUMMY! I have been paleo for around 4 months now and this was my first dessert. It tasted more like a gingerbread with chocolate chips, rather than brownies, but I still loved it. I just adored how moist they were.

I doubted you but this recipe really works. I put the zucchini and chocolate chips in the food processor together and they turned out exactly like a brownie. My kids love them and this will be our summer brownie recipe from now on! I'm amazed...completely amazed.

I was skeptical but made these today. They are not sweet enough for me, and too dark-chocolatey. I even added more honey and less chocolate. The texture was nice though and you cannot tell zucchini is in there. I used the smallest holes on my box grater. Perfect way to do it. May try again with milk chocolate chips. I know, I know...

Saw these on pinterest and made them last night. They're very good, but I think the comments made me expect something even better. They're chocolatey and nice to eat, but we thought they still taste very healthy, not like a regular brownie. And we don't eat any junk food and we severely limit sugar/honey consumption, so we eat a lot of healthy, less sweet treats. But these are worth making, just not as unbelievably delicious to us as they were to others!

I just made these and they are fabulous! I did add about 1/4 cup of dark cocoa powder to the recipe. You picture looks like it must have cocoa powder in it, but it is not listed in the ingredients. Thanks for the wonderful recipe!!

I just made this, after specifically buying (what I thought was) zucchini yesterday. As it turns out, it was cucumber. I was already halfway into the recipe, so I made them anyway. Even though the smell was still cucumber-y , they did not taste like anything but chocolate brownies. I did add a few more choc. chips just in case. My kids were totally grossed out about the whole idea of any veggies in the dessert, so I get to eat all of them with my husband, lol. I made my own almond butter from your recipe, too. Thank you!

I love your blog and I really want to use some of your recipes to cook for my family. This recipe, for example, seems soo right to try. But, I'm not sure I can get "raw honey" from stores in my country. How can I replace it?? Please answer me.

I make these each week to satisfy my sweet tooth, and I bake them in a muffin tin so they're portioned out. My only tweak to the recipe is that I add fresh chocolate mint to the recipe to spice it up a bit. Thanks you, I love this recipe!

Those who asked about a vegan egg substitute, I made these today using a flax egg and they turned out amazing! I added a bit of carob powder and used pb instead of almond butter, plus a bit less sweetener. SO good!

I just made these and they are delicious! Amazing recipe. Thank you so much for sharing. For those of you who are using gluten free dark chocolate chips where are you buying them? The local markets don't carryt them. I guess I'd have to shop at trader Joes, or any organic store to see if they sell them! :

Just wanted to stop in and say I made these for the first time this weekend and they were awesome! I just used my regular box grater for the zucchini and everything turned out great. Probably helps that I have some fabulous raw honey from the farmer's market. To the commenters above, no they are not like "regular" brownies, but for a Paleo-er, they are delicious and perfect! I linked to your blog when I posted about these - hope that's okay. Thanks again for this recipe! :)

I like to mix a "regular" diet with a lot of gluten free, vegan, and paleo recipes. I like to bake with veggies and in our house brownies are the preferred dessert so i'm going to make a batch of these.

I've made it - http://www.madebybronwyn.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/i-make-stuff-all-time-but-not-all-of-it.html - really good. Amazing cakey texture. Maybe not as attractive as yours, but no complaints on the taste!

Thanks Lindsay! I used the cacao nibs and the recipe turned out just as delicious! Not as chocolatey, but still gooey and brownie-ish! ;) I have been going crazy making all of your recipes lately and ALL of them have turned out great. I have a number of food allergies and your recipes make me feel like I can eat "normal" food again. Thank you for your wonderful site!

I use chopped up 72% chocolate and melt half of it and leave the other half as chunks. It makes it a little more chocolatier throughout (and the choco chips have never sunnk to the bottom). These are requested by my paleo AND non paleo friends! Thank you for sharing :-)

Hi! I made a vegan version of your recipe and it was awesome...you are my new best friend! lol Here is a link to it if you have any vegan readers that would like to try it out: http://thehealthyfamilyandhome.com/vegan-flourless-zucchini-brownies/ Thanks for the recipe! :)

Thank you for a way to satisfy my brownie craving, healthfully! I did as one post said, and added a dropper of liquid stevia (I used vanilla) and 2 Tbspns. cocoa powder. Divine! They rose up high, and were so moist and perfect. My daughter, age 8, did notice the zucchini because she saw the green flecks, so peeling first is wise if you have a picky eater in the house. Bravo! More recipes like this, please!

I make these all the time, and one of my co-workers recently reviewed them for me. (I think he should quit being an attorney and take up being a food critic.)

"Yum-o. The variety of textures emphasizes the gooeyness of the chocolate chips as little pockets of bliss (sigh). And to think that something so tasty and satisfying to one’s sweet tooth contains a vegetable (or fruit but who’s being technical)! Is this brownie also good for us? Get outta town…"

I have been making these for months now. Probably at least 10 times. This is my go-to homemade sweet treat and we love them! I snicker to myself as I watch my kids gobble them up, they have no idea they are eating zucchini!!

I made these yesterday and did a few tweaks and it turned out one of the most fudgey brownies I have made. Here is what I did:1. Processed the zucchini in a food processor before mixing ingredients together.2. Used crunchy almond butter (which is thicker than the more runny, creamy version - this creates a thicker texture in the finished product).3. Melted the chocolate chips before mixing into the batter. The chocolate chips I use are really big (Ghirardheli dark) and always ended up at the bottom of the brownies, leaving the top less chocolaty and more zucchini-y. The chocolate goodness was incorporated into every bite and it was amazing! I might have (accidentally hehe) used a little more than 1 cup of the chips.

Anyway, they were PERFECT! I plan on fooling people with these very soon.

I have been on a quest for the perfect brownie for a couple of years now. But I wanted one that was not chock full of white sugar, white flour and ideally, gluten free. I tried them with black beans, applesauce and various gluten free flours but NONE, I repeat NONE, turned out as indescribably delicious as these. The first time I made them I didn't have a full cup of almond butter so I added 1/2 c almond butter with 1/2 c mocha cappuccino hazelnut spread and they were equally great. I think they are the best cold out of the fridge. Now that summer's here and the zucchini are multiplying like rabbits, I have been making them a couple of times a week. I am not a formally educated cook so I totally don't get how they come out so great using the nut butter instead of flour, but kudos to you momma, this deserves some sort of award!!

I just made these tonight. It took me 2 tries lol...I used peanut butter instead of almond butter and I put 1 1/2 tsp of coco powder and only used 3/4 cup of chocolate chips. I shredded the zucchini with my food processor then put everything in my food processor (even the chocolate chips) then got a 9x9 pan and lined it with wax paper (way easier to get out!) and baked it for 35mins on 350. I wish I could post a picture !

I made these exactly per the recipe, even the same type of choc chips and chopped the zucchini after shredding it (let it drain a bit first and squeezed out some of the liquid). The brownies were quite fudgy and my picky teenage daughters (and I) all loved them.

I made these today for desert, and they were SO GOOD! I peeled the zuchini first, then grated it. My three year old son had like three helpings. But with no sugar, juist raw honey, this is the best treat ever. All of the chocolate chips melted, I didn't see any left at the top, like in your photo. They truly tasted like brownies, soft and chocolatey. Great for kids! A great recipe find, thanks!

Brownies came out beautifully =D Had to make a few replacements due to food allergies. I used a mix of Justins Organic Peanut Butter and Chocolate Hazlenut Butter http://www.justins.com/, instead of almond butter. In addition to my almond allergy, I can't eat raw honey - so I used organic Agave Nectar and a 1/2 cup of organic raw sugar. All in all I liked this recipe. The brownies were very moist and tasty. I baked them for co-workers, so doing my best not to eat to many before I get them to work! Nice recipe =D

I made this today using all the same ingredients except I chopped dark chocolate bcuz couldn't find chips. My only complaint is that it was very bitter and wish it was sweeter. Any suggestions for making it sweeter? Maybe use more honey or maybe maple syrup?

I just tried this recipe & it was DELICIOUS! My first time cooking with Zucchini & it pleasantly surprisded my expectations. I will definitely chop it up much smaller next time, but the brownies are great! Thanks!

For me this turned out as a fabulous chocolate cake and not a brownie but I also made some modifications. I used crunchy natural peanut butter, regular honey, melted milk chocolate chips, 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder and blended everything in a food processor. I'm not gluten free or on the paleo diet...just trying to keep up with the zucchini in our garden already this year. This will definitely be going in the recipe book for the next time I need to make chocolate cake.

We really enjoyed this! I've made it twice - the second time I used mini chocolate chips, and just 1/2 cup. (We've been calling it snack cake, since it doesn't really remind me of a brownie...but it's delicious!) Thanks!

Absolutely delicious. Was craving for a midnight snack and what a great way to help with your chocolate cravings. Delicious chewy and chocolaty, will definitely be making this again. Thank you for the recipe Healthy Brownie Recipes | Keep Healthy Living :)

Made this recipe tonight and the brownies came out absolutely delicious!! They are so moist and you would never think that they had zucchini and no flour in them. Taking some but not all with me to work tomorrow!! I'll will definitely make this recipe again. Thank you, they taste great!!

Holy cow!I'll definitely be making these again!!! My whole family is currently chowing down on them and they're a hit. I can't believe these are flourless. They're cakey, fudgy, and amazing. I did add cocoa powder to the recipe as well, I like really chocolatey brownies. Thanks for this awesome recipe!!! :)

I'm eating a low-carb paleo type diet and brownies are my fav dessert. I'm gluten intolerant so I've been looking for a good flourless recipe. I made another blog recipe before and it was gross. I made these last night, with a few small variations and they were quite tasty! More of a flan type consistency than a brownie but that could have been my mods. I puréed the zucchini, replaced the honey with agave nectar because it's lower glycemic, and used 1/4 cup of cocoa powder because I didn't have chocolate chips. And I omitted the nutmeg. I processed it all in my ninja blender and baked as you directed and it was definitely a winner! Thanks for sharing!